A $230 million investment from the government will help fast track much-needed infrastructure projects in Tauranga, says Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller.

The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a $1 billion investment from central government to assist high growth councils advance infrastructure projects required to increasing housing supply.

The funding will be allocated across nine projects in five different council areas, Auckland, Hamilton, Waikato, Tauranga and Queenstown.

Todd says Tauranga is one of the fastest growing cities at the moment, which means there is high demand for housing, especially for young families.

'Our community is growing at a rapid pace which is putting enormous pressure on our housing stock. This funding will help our local council to bring forward the ability to build more homes at a faster rate to keep up with demand”

'In total we will see 35,000 homes brought forward and built providing for much of our forecast future growth as a city over the next 30 years”.

'The Government is investing heavily in the future of our community, here in Papamoa, by helping our local council get vital infrastructure in the ground to enable growth.”

In March, Tauranga City Council made an application to the HIF to fund four packages of projects that will allow both city-wide growth and to open new urban growth areas:

• New Waiari water treatment plant to supply the city ($114.6m)

• Upgrade of the Te Maunga wastewater treatment plant to increase capacity ($55.9m)

• Infrastructure for Te Tumu new urban growth area ($39.8m to $59.8m)

• Infrastructure for Tauriko West new urban growth area ($45.8m)

The Te Tumu development in Papamoa East will see 7,300 houses built in the coming years, as an increasing number of families look to call the community home.

'Papamoa is a great place to raise a family so it's easy to see the appeal. This is not just about growing a bigger community, but a better community and an important part of that is ensuring we don't lose sight of what made Papamoa great in the first place.”

'This means not only getting the pipes and roads right, but also the schools, parks and other public amenities.”

'I'm particularly pleased to see a connection to State Highway 2 and the Tauranga Eastern Link to help support and manage the growth in the area and reduce congestion.”